Re-education

Having homeschooled kids has proven to be challenging and enjoyable at the same time. I’m finding myself re-learning skills long gone idle, and in some cases learning new topics I’m fairly sure I was never exposed to when I was in school. Verb tenses are a good example; I of course knew the past, present and future, but if I was ever taught about past perfect, present perfect and future perfect, it was apparently so brief that I remember nothing of it.

Grammar is interesting to be sure, and I’m glad for the chance to refresh and refine my knowledge of it, but mathematics is where I feel like I belong. This year has been a treat for me, since one of my kids is taking high-school geometry. When I was in school, I believe geometry and trigonometry were taught together, and neither in much depth. Certain things seem familiar to be sure, such as how use the Pythagorean Theorem, but so much of what is in this new geometry class is completely new to me. I find myself engrossed in the subject, spending hours at a time working through entire chapters. How to use the Pythagorean Theorem is a small thing; how to prove it in 10 different ways is real understanding.

This new thirst for knowledge pulls me in all directions. Where to go next? Learn to speak Chinese? Learn a new programming language? Design a mobile app? Write a novel? The possibilities are endless, are they not?